


What Lies Between (Part 4)

by QuietDarkness



Series: Simplicity and Complexity (Harrisco) [51]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:51:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietDarkness/pseuds/QuietDarkness
Summary: Trying to figure out how to save Harry from the strange affliction caused by Hope's energy goes from wild theories to even wilder revelations, a new four-legged member added to the family, and a man that could be a friend... or a terrible foe...'Opposites don't just attract. They catch fire and burn the entire city down.'(Part 51)





	What Lies Between (Part 4)

Below Harry's right shoulderblade, mingled in a string of white scarring, were freckles. 

They started at a point, moving down in rows in such a way that if Cisco were to literally connect the dots, he could make an octagonal pyramid out of them. Sometimes, he would do it with his fingertips, just to touch Harry's skin, just to feel the smoothness, the slight stretch of scar tissue between freckles. 

Right now, he was doing it just for the sake of knowing he still could. 

The water from the shower was rolling all over Harry's body. The taller man standing still beneath the showerhead, hands flat on the tile to hold himself up. His head was hung a little, his hair flattened beneath the cascade of water. Since they'd made the decision to completely separate him from Hope, he'd been doing worlds better. He still had that strange ache in his stomach that didn't seem to want to go away. It was affecting his appetite. But other than that, he seemed to be himself again. Mostly. 

He couldn't hide from Cisco the fact that he was actually very tired. From everyone else, sure. But not from him. He knew Harry just too damn well. Harry's body was on constant heal mode. Whatever their connection was, it had turned Hope toxic to Harry and was hurting him even this far away from her. Or at least that was the running theory. They had no real answers. Nothing that made much sense. All they knew for sure was Harry being anywhere near Hope now made him deathly ill. Literally. Like his body just started rejecting itself. It was horrifying.

Twice now, Cisco'd had to watch Harry puke up his insides. And that wasn't a metaphor, either.

“That's not true! That can't be true! I would never... I... I couldn't!” _Hope exclaimed, voice panicked, eyes wide and wildly looking around at everyone like she were a trapped animal searching for a way out. But no one seemed to know what to say or do. It was Harry who stepped forward, his face instantly tightening in pain._

“Hope.” _he said firmly. She froze in place, watching him, a perpetual deer in headlights. Cisco didn't want him to do this. But they had to find out, had to know for sure. And Harry was a stubborn ass at the best of times._ “No one's saying you're doing this on purpose, if it is you... we have to know for sure...” _So Cisco watched, wringing his hands, as Harry took another step toward her, and another... and then fell to his knees._

_In an instant, he was throwing up blood again. Lots of it. Hope cried out a sound of pure anguish, real and pained, then backed up so fast that she toppled over a computer screen. Caitlin and Barry rushed on Harry the same time Cisco did. Wally grabbed Hope and ran. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hope's expression before she disappeared. And it was anything but hopeful..._

Cisco let his hand slide down Harry's back as his husband straightened, hands falling off the tile as he turned to look at him. His eyes were a-lit, icy blue fire, beacons full of intelligence and emotion that often left Cisco feeling he was being stared at by some sort of god in disguise. Not that he'd ever tell Harry that. No need to feed his ego, after all. But right then, Harry's stare was quiet, solemn, despite the glow. Cisco stepped into him, the water falling between them as he wrapped his arms around Harry, who reciprocated the embrace without hesitation. Harry's eyes searched his quietly for a moment, then he spoke softly. 

“You shouldn't worry so much.” He stated easily. “We'll figure it out. We always do.” 

“Ya know, I'm really beginning to kinda hate that.” He found himself replying, frowning a little, but leaning a little into Harry's touch as his hand came up to smooth through Cisco's very wet hair. Harry's brows furrowed lightly in question. “The whole, 'We always figure it out' thing. I thought we'd figured it out already. I thought you were out of the woods, ya know? That you were safe.” He sighed, shaking his head a little. “But this whole thing just keeps dragging on, keeps coming after you.” He reached behind Harry then and shut the water off, then pulled the curtain open. The chill air attacked them immediately, but he peeled himself away from Harry, grabbing his oversized bright green towel, (because beach towels, baby), and began drying himself off. Harry followed suit shortly after, but was quiet for a long moment.

“Remember when you said this isn't territory anyone is supposed to know how to navigate?” Harry's voice met his ears. He turned around to see Harry settling his towel around his waist. Then he reached forward and took Cisco's towel away from him, his free hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him forward. “We're sailing blindly here, I get it.” He began to dry Cisco's hair, which, had he been anyone else in the world, would normally have made him feel like a kid. But when Harry did it? It just made him feel cared for. “But our lives are full of impossible, hard to handle, terrible situations that somehow we make it out of. So why stop now?” He smiled a little, then began to drag the towel across Cisco's chest and shoulders. 

“You make it sound easy.” He frowned a little, just standing there, letting Harry dry him. Harry just smiled more, stepping into him. He kissed him softly, then put the towel on top of the toilet. Cisco sighed. “This isn't easy, Harry.” Cisco crossed his arms, attempting to pout. But Harry just smiled at him, in the most adorably affectionate way. Dammit.

“You realize that being naked takes away from the effect you're trying to have right now.” He said, slight humor in his tone as he stroked his hands down both of Cisco's upper arms. “And I know it isn't easy. I wouldn't want it to be.” 

“You're kidding, right?” He asked dubiously, dropping his arms. “Why wouldn't you want it to be easy? Shit, Harry. Anyone in their right mind would want life to be a whole hell of a lot easier than all this.”

But Harry just shrugged, kissed the top of Cisco's head and stepped past him, opening the bathroom door to let more cold air in and all the warm steam out. Eureka padded quickly in, hopping up onto the closed toilet and Cisco's damp towel, instantly making herself at home. Harry disappeared out the door and into their bedroom, leaving Ramon standing there with Eureka staring at him, tail swishing. 

Then he just moved after him, hurrying into their bedroom and closing their bedroom door. Last thing they needed right then was Maggie coming home and seeing both her Dad's arguing naked. Those would be some hefty therapy bills no one wanted to pay for. 

“You can't just walk off.” Cisco said, reaching forward and yanking at Harry's towel while he went through his clothes in the closet. He paused, looking down as his lower half was suddenly bared to the air. Cisco tossed his towel aside and waited, crossing his arms again. Harry sighed, pulling a shirt off a hanger and turning. 

“If things were easier, our life?” He motioned toward Cisco, “Then neither of us would be here. We wouldn't be together.” Harry stepped forward, tossing the shirt past Cisco to land on the bed, but he kept eye contact. Cisco couldn't help the confusion.

“What? Why would you say that?” He asked, his voice a fair bit quieter as he searched Harry's eyes.

“Think about it, Ramon. If my life hadn't been hell, I wouldn't have come to this Earth looking for a solution, I wouldn't have met you...” He flared his nostrils a little, filling his lungs slightly with air, “We started out angry at each other, we grew because of everything we went through... together. All of it, all that difficulty?” He said gruffly, and shook his head. “If things were easier, I wouldn't have you. So, no. I don't want a life where things are easy because that's not who we are. It's not where we,” He motioned between them one more time, “came from.” His stare grew slightly stern. “It's not what we're meant for, either. I'll take it all, every damn bit of stress and pain because I know at the end of it, there's you and me. And nothing and no one is ever going to change that.” He finished, voice firm, brows furrowed, eyes daring Ramon or anyone else to fight the veracity of his words.

Cisco felt all the fight go out of him. 

How Harry saw them often left him feeling that way. This time was no different. How could he argue with anything Harry had just said? He was right about all of it. They wouldn't be who they were together if they hadn't been through all those situations, all those days and miles of hell. He might never have grown to love Harry. He might never have met Harry at all. The mere thought tugged something inside of him and he uncrossed his arms and just reached up, holding Harry's face in his hands, eyes dancing back and forth at Harry's.

“You're right. You're so right.” He whispered gently, stroking Harry's cheekbones. “I'm just...” he felt himself sigh, stepping closer, feeling their skin touch, cool and soft, “It's so much, Harry. Watching you hurting? You gotta know, it kills me, too, man.” He slid his hands to Harry's neck, down to his shoulders, to his arms. Harry's hands came up then resting on Ramon's hips, warm and steady. “In the Not-Future... losing you...” He closed his eyes, the memory still so very real, sometimes too real to be a memory, “I won't survive it if that happens.”

“Yes you will.” Harry said, his voice tugging Cisco's eyes open. Harry pressed their frames firmly against each other for emphasis. “Cisco...” His voice was a whisper, using his first name. And he sighed, pressing his forehead to his. “You're better than I am in every way. You always have been. That means you're stronger, too. So much more than you think. You're my rock, my everything. I couldn't do any of this without you. I'm so much weaker than you think...” Harry's voice cracked lightly. “But you?” He smiled, “You had enough strength to take my darkness and make it into something you could love. If you could do that?” He held him a tad bit tighter. “Then you can do anything. You can survive. And you will.”

“No,” It was his turn for his voice to crack, his hands clinging to Harry, “Stop talking like that. You... you can't talk like that, okay? You're not dying on me. You promised.” He felt the tears roll down his cheeks before he could stop them and Harry responded by curling his arms completely around him. 

“I told you before, that's a promise no one keep. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, sweetheart.” It was so rare that Harry called him that, too. It always shook him when Harry did. Like it was a gentle whisper to something deep down and special that only Harry had access to. “But neither of us can tell the future. We changed everything from the Not-Future. And... and I am... older than you, Cisco.” 

That was something they'd talked about before, but mostly in passing. Mostly in joking. Never seriously. Because, honestly, Cisco didn't want to. Yeah, Harry had some years on him. But he didn't act like it, or look it. And he sure as hell didn't have the health of it. He was strong and fit and able, smart as hell and so capable of loving Cisco for exactly who and what he was that the age just didn't matter. 

“It doesn't matter. It doesn't.” He cried lightly, pulling back enough to reach up and grab Harry's face again, admittedly a little more firmly than he meant to. “I'm not doing this. I'm not losing you. You hear me? I know you think I'm strong. But right now... right now I'm not, okay?” He sobbed out. “I'm not, I'm not...” He shook his head, crying, flattening his forehead to Harry's chest. Unable to stop the tears now even if he wanted to. 

It took him only a moment to realize that Harry was crying, too. Only much quieter.

When Cisco managed to control himself, holding onto Harry for all he was worth, he focused simply on the trembling in his arms, in the sound of Harry's heart beating steadily in his chest. “So help me save me.” Harry said then, breaching the strange quiet that had fallen around them. He lifted his head a little, eyes still slightly wet, cheeks flushed. Harry's blue eyes were still glowing, but almost a darker light. Like they did when he was emotional. 

“What?” Cisco asked, and Harry moved just enough to lift his hands up to wipe Ramon's cheeks. 

“I don't want to die. And I don't want to leave you. So let's save my unworthy ass.” He said more firmly. Cisco took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“How?” He asked, reaching up and holding Harry's wrists. Harry nodded lightly.

“By starting with Hope. Whatever this is, whatever's happening to me, it all comes back to her. If we want to save me, we have to save Hope first...” Harry stated simply. Like it made all the logical sense in the world. Cisco stood there breathing softly. Then nodded. 

“Alright, how do we do that?” 

Harry smiled lightly, then shook his head. “I have absolutely no fucking idea.”

Cisco couldn't help it, he had to laugh a little at that. And Harry laughed, too. 

Everything seemed a touch less heavy. For the moment, anyway.

“I love you.” Ramon said then, searching his eyes, moving forward and standing on his toes to press his mouth to Harry's. It was all warmth and softness and sighs. And then it was Harry whispering, _'I love you, too, Ramon,'_ just before he lead him back to their bed. They held each other there, just relaxing, soothing each other, talking in hushed tones. In a heartbeat, they could have taken things further. But there was a comfort to just laying there in each other's arms, skin to skin with no expectations beyond holding one another and forgetting the rest of the world existed for a little while.

It hadn't been part of the plan for the day, falling into that bed with Harry. But nothing about the last several years had gone according to plan, now that he thought about it. As he lay there on his side, head resting on his elbow, stroking Harry's sternum, watching Harry's completely calm eyes watch him, he realized falling in love with Harry had never been part of his plans, either. Even with all his abilities, he never saw that coming. Falling in love with Harry had been the best kind of surprise.

And Harry had been right about that... about them. 

Everything they'd been through, every difficult situation, every bad guy and awful turn of events had only served to bring them closer together, make them stronger, make them who they were to one another. Cisco found himself inwardly agreeing... maybe easier wasn't better, after all...

Then a sound broke the quiet, muffled but loud enough to carry through their closed door. Both he and Harry raised their brows, Cisco's hand stilling mid-stroke. “Was that...”

Another sound.

“Ohhellno.” Harry grumbled so quickly, it was practically one word. Then he sat up and swung his legs over. He grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor as he went. Cisco was chuckling, getting up and moving to the closet as Harry yanked dark jeans out of his dresser drawer. 

“Harry, honey, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for-” another sound cut him off. Harry froze and glared at the door, then yanked his pants on one leg at a time as Cisco slipped a shirt on with a shake of his head. 

Nope, nothing ever went to plan. Not really. 

Sometimes it was all downright awful. 

And sometimes?

“Dad! And Dad! You guys are home!” Maggie exclaimed, sitting on the kitchen floor, half covered in mud, hugging a pit-bull that could have been tan but was equally covered in mud and had no collar. It barked loudly, wagging its tail, panting at Harry and Cisco who stood near the breakfast counter. “I can explain, I swear!” She exclaimed, just before the dog began to shake and mud started to fly. 

“Maggie!” Harry scolded loudly, shielding his face with his arm. 

Cisco just found himself laughing, ducking behind Harry's taller frame.

Sometimes it was just all downright wonderful instead...

* * *

axiom: _a proposition that is not actually proved or demonstrated, but is considered to be self-evident and universally accepted as a starting point for deducing and inferring other truths and theorems, without any need of proof_

* * *

“It's a dog.” Harry said, arms crossed, mud dried on his shirt and neck. Maggie was sitting on the edge of the tub, the pitbull in the tub, sudded up and sitting there like taking a bath was the best thing since bacon. 

“No duh, Harry.” Cisco said from where he was sitting on the closed toilet lid, reaching over and scruffing the dog's rather sudsy back. 

“It's not staying.” Harry added firmly, a perpetual look of distaste plastered on his face. Maggie exchanged glances with Cisco who just shrugged at her. He was staying out of this one. Harry was totally a cat person, through and through. No way was he getting in the middle of this. But Maggie frowned and stood up, wiping her wet palms on her jeans, which were a lost cause of caked mud at this point.

“I found _him_ ,” Maggie emphasized, “Out by the burrows.” She crossed her arms. “Where the old shoe factory used to be?” Harry raised a brow, but she continued before he could interrupt, “He was tied to a gate by some nasty rope, almost up to his joints in mud in a sink hole. Just left there. No food, no clean water. I couldn't leave him there, Dad.”

“First of all, you know you're not supposed to be out there. And we'll get back to that in a minute.” Harry dropped his arms, placing his hands on his hips. “Why didn't you take the mutt to the shelter?”

“Because they'll probably just put him down!” She blurted, “And what if the asshole who left him out there came looking for him? They don't deserve him, after what they did. Leaving him out there like that...”

“Watch your mouth.” Harry pointed at her, and Maggie clamped her jaw shut. But she stood her ground, crossing her arms. “It's a stray. It could have diseases. It's not our responsibility, Maggie.”

“Neither was I!” She practically yelled, and Harry raised his chin a little, narrowing his eyes darkly, but watched her quietly for a moment. She swallowed, realizing she'd just raised her voice to him. Cisco just kept watching, aware that his eyes were probably a bit wide at this point. “You and Cisco... I was just a stray, but you guys took me in, gave me a home. I wasn't your responsibility.”

“That was different.” Harry said then, much softer. But Cisco could see it, the chink in the armor. Maggie had hit a nerve. The kid was good...

“No.” She said, then reached forward and hugged Harry, probably knowing damn well Harry couldn't fight much when being hugged against his will. “I'd still be out there, dead or worse if it wasn't for you two. Please don't make me get rid of him. He deserves a chance, too.” Harry made eye contact with Cisco, practically begging with his expression for a helping hand. But Ramon just smiled and shrugged. Which made Harry sigh and slowly hug Maggie back. It was quiet as Harry made eye contact with the dog, who wiggled his nose and wagged his tail slightly, sloshing a little water.

“The moment... and I mean the very moment that you forget to feed or water or walk it, it's gone.” Harry groused. But Maggie squealed, nearly jumping while she continued to hug Harry, effectively shaking him. “And it needs shots. And a collar. And I do not want it on the furniture. And I swear, if it chases my cat...” Harry added when she let him go, grinning from ear to ear as she clasped her hands together.

“I'll take care of him, I swear! Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” She exclaimed, moving back in for another quick hug before whirling around to continue washing the dog, who'd been sitting there patiently throughout the conversation, blue eyes roaming.

“Don't think this gets you off the hook. We're still going to talk about your little adventure when you're done cleaning the mud out of the kitchen cabinets.” Harry added, but there was a small smile on his face. Maggie just nodded, her full attention now on the dog. 

Cisco stood up then, moving toward Harry, standing in front of him. “Softy.” He said, smiling, reaching up and wiping a somewhat dried splotch of mud off of Harry's nose. 

“Lies.” Harry responded, but smiled a little brighter.

“I have to get to the labs, but you two have fun... and,” he glanced over his shoulder as the dog shook again, water and soap suds getting all over Maggie as she laughed, “Go easy on her. She's only trying to help.” He added, looking back at Harry who sighed, his smile fading, eyes growing a little dark again. He leaned forward and kissed Cisco's forehead, however. Then stepped out of the way to let him leave. 

Cisco passed a very fluffed up, wide eyed Eureka on top of the refrigerator on his way out the door, stifling a chuckle. Oh, Eureka. First a move to a new house, now a dog? 

This newest development was certainly going to be fun. 

For everyone... except maybe Eureka...

 

* * *

“You guys can't all be everywhere at once. And you're still sore. Don't think I haven't noticed.” Maggie said, flopping down on the couch, bare feet tucked up beneath her. The pit bull, who she'd taken to calling Axiom, was laying flat on his side on the floor by Harry's feet. For whatever reason, after he'd been cleaned and bathed, the dog seemed to think it was okay to follow Harry around, despite every reason it shouldn't. No amount of glaring or 'shooing' seemed to deter the animal, either. 

“We told you,” Harry said, scowling down at the lazy beast, shifting his feet to the side as he attempted to relax in his recliner, “The team's got this. You need to focus on school. We had a deal, Maggie.”

“No, you all had a deal. I had no say.” She grabbed one of the throw pillows and hugged it to her stomach, watching him. “I want to help. You know I can. I can feel the energy signatures without any of your equipment.” Harry sighed at that, reaching a hand up and pulling his glasses off.

There was a peculiar set of energy signatures all over the city that almost entirely matched the one Hope gave off. Except they were residual, old, lingering like a scent trail. Hope swore she hadn't been to any of the places they'd found the signatures thus far. And it made her wonder... was there someone else like her? It had been an interesting conversation, one Harry had not been able to be a part of. But one that was all conjecture and theory as far as he was concerned. The idea that another Watcher had fallen and was roaming around Central City was absurd. Hope herself even said that it was highly unlikely. But if there was even a chance that there was another Watcher out there in human form, then maybe they could help. Maybe they had answers to all their questions. Like why being near Hope was effectively killing Harry.

Maggie was right about the fact she could pick up the energy signatures without tech. Her abilities had certainly grown once she'd learned to control them. She could do far more now than just create and control electricity. She could detect all sorts of energy, even tell different energies apart. She was also getting smarter and braver every day. To say Harry was proud of her was an understatement. But still... if there was another Watcher out there, who was to say they were good and kind like Hope was? The last thing Harry wanted was Maggie facing the unknown completely alone.

“We work as a team, Maggie.” He folded his glasses, shaking his head a little. “You know this.”

“That's such bull. You were going to track the energy today, alone. I know you were.” She accused. “I saw the meter in the back of the truck, Dad.” She frowned at him and he frowned right back.

“You're my daughter.” He stood up then, hands hanging at his side. The dog lifted his head, staring up at him. “That means if I tell you to go to school, you go to school.” He stepped over the mutt, pointing at her. 

“So everyone gets to break the rules but me?” She blurted out, practically tossing the pillow aside, standing up, too, and placing her hands on her hips, facing off with him.

“Is this going to turn out to be a thing with you?” He demanded, crossing his arms. She raised her chin, but he could see the slight twinge of fear in her eyes. No matter what, she always seemed a little afraid of him. He knew it. Felt it. Even understood it. And he hated it. But there was nothing he could do about it. He let out a slow breath. “Fine. You can come. But you do what I tell you to do, when I tell you t-” He was cut off by her grin and her hugging him tight. Again. She did that a lot, too.

“I'll meet you in the truck. Come on, boy!” She said, and the dog got to his feet quickly, scampering after Maggie before Harry could protest that he did not want the dog to come along.

Fuck.

He stood there for a long moment, just breathing. One hand rubbed idly at his aching gut. He wasn't sure what he was doing, honestly. Maggie was stubborn, she was just trying to help. He knew that. He also knew if he told her not to go, she would do it anyway, without him. So taking her with him seemed logical. He also knew that doing it by himself was probably safer, especially if this whole other Watcher thing turned out to be a reality. 

Everything was just a mess.

Cisco was scared.

Maggie and Jesse were worried.

The team was frustrated.

And Harry?

He didn't know what to do or to feel. He couldn't blame Hope. None of this was her fault. And she was so terrified at the idea of hurting him, that she hadn't left her room at the labs in days, according to Snow. 

He was exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally. But he had to keep pushing through. For his girls, for Cisco. None of this was getting any easier, and he knew he couldn't keep continuously pushing this affliction back. His healing abilities would fail eventually. Even this far from Hope, he could feel the ache. It was really the only reason he was even attempting to take stock in this whole second Watcher theory. 

Truthfully, though, he had no good feelings about any of this. There was such a sense of foreboding. Like a literal hand of some cosmic entity was waiting to squash him like the bug he was. It just needed the right excuse.

“You coming?” Maggie's voice came from the open front door, echoing down the hall. He opened his eyes and dropped his hand, letting out the breath he'd been holding in. He steeled himself and went back to pretending he wasn't aching, wasn't beyond exhausted, wasn't feeling entirely too lost in all this. 

“Yeah, punk.” He called back. Then grabbed his keys and hat off the counter on the way out the door...

* * *

Axiom was sniffing along happily, tail swaying back and forth in a lazy arc with no real pattern. He seemed to be pretty well trained, all things considered. Not once did he tug on the leash she'd grabbed at the pet store on the way. He stopped when told, sat when asked, and already seemed to have a good grasp on the name she'd given him. He was smart, that was for sure. Maggie could tell, having Axiom around was going to be a great thing. Now if only she could convince Harry of that.

The tall man was staring down at the meter in his hands, face set in fine lines beneath the bill of his black hat, eyes dark behind his contacts and glasses. He seemed pale to her. Or at least more pale than before they left the house. They'd stopped at the railroad depot, where several tracks converged and many train cars, full and empty, sat waiting or discarded. He'd been adamant about telling her to be careful. But honestly, she was more worried about him. Especially when they got closer to the energy. She could feel it, like an itching at the base of her skull, when she opened herself up to it. And for some reason, there was an abandoned, graffiti filled train car that was permeated with it.

They were all standing outside of it. The dog sat near Harry's legs and stared up at him, ears twitching a little. Harry lowered the meter in his hands. “We should look inside. It's the strongest concentration of readings yet.” His voice sounded more grated than usual, strained. She watched as his empty hand opened and closed, like he was trying very hard to concentrate on something other than what he was feeling.

“I can go alone.” She said, stepping in front of him, holding out the end of the leash toward him. He raised a brow. “You're hurting. I can see it.” His brows furrowed then and his jaw clenched. He looked over her head, toward the half open door of the train car, the rusted metal and warn graffiti looming ominously behind her. 

“It doesn't matter.” He shook his head, looking back at her. “We go together, punk.” He stated firmly, then placed a hand on her shoulder. “I'll be fine.” She searched his gaze, wished she could believe him. But all she could see was the tension around his eyes, the paleness of his skin. Why did he have to be so stubborn? He let his hand fall, then nodded toward the train car. “Come on.” He stepped past her, sliding the meter through the open door, then motioned her forward. “Ladies first.” She sighed, setting the leash down on the ground and scratching at Axiom's ear. 

“Stay, boy.” She pointed at him. And he just tilted his head a little. He didn't move, though. Just sniffed the air and watched as she went to Harry, letting him help hoist her up. The train car smelled like wet metal, dank and moldy. It was dark inside, but she could make out something on the floors and walls. Scratches maybe? And lots of them. When Harry hoisted himself up, holding onto the sliding door, his eyes got a little wide. 

“Holy shit.” He muttered, slowly stepping further in, then completely past her, one hand holding his stomach firmly. His facial features looked immensely strained, but he was looking at everything in the mostly dark around him. 

“What? Can you see something?” She asked, moving instinctively to his side, snaking her arms around him, feeling a sudden strange need to protect him. 

“You don't see all that?” He asked in confusion, glancing at her, then looking up over their heads at the ceiling.

“See... what?” She asked, following his gaze in the darkness. He moved forward, one hand reaching out then. And he hesitated only a moment before touching a deep scratch in one of the walls of the train car.

Just like that, she saw exactly what. Because suddenly everything was awash in blue lines of light, connecting together in patterns and circles and balls like a map of... well, something. Holy shit was right. Harry suddenly staggered back in her hold, both hands holding his stomach. “Dad?!” She asked, eyes tearing away from the display surrounding them to Harry as he fell to all fours. Pain covered his face, and he was gasping for air before falling completely. “Dad!” She cried, turning him over, panic flooding her. And for a very real, terrifying moment, she had no idea what to do.

Then out of nowhere, Axiom appeared. He grabbed Harry by the jacket and began to tug as hard as he could toward the entrance of the train car. Harry didn't even fight him. He just went further limp and his eyes began to flutter shut as blood began to pool in his mouth. “Right, right!” She agreed to no one, really. Then grabbed Harry's arm and dragged right along with Axiom, pulling Harry all the way to the edge. Jumping out and yanking him down, too. The landing was hard. But being inside that train car, with all that strange energy, was killing him. A little rough gravel and a five foot drop would be heaven in comparison. Once on the ground, and Axiom jumped out, she dragged Harry even further away, till she nearly fell, her foot catching in a pothole. 

Axiom was barking, nudging Harry's head. Pushing at him, making Harry's head loll. “Dad! Please!” She gripped Harry's jacket, shaking him, too. And just as she did, he gasped, coughing, turning on his side and coughing up blood, violently at first but then easing, just breathing. “Holy shit...” she breathed out, pressing herself into his side, arms awkwardly wrapped around him, breathing right along, tears melting into the fabric of his jacket. 

“The multiverse.” His voice sounded like he'd chain smoked a dozen boxes of cigarettes. She felt his hand in her hair and she turned her face to look at him. He was blinking lazily, eyes focused on the train car. “It's the multiverse.” He forced himself to look at her. “Or part of it.” Then he rolled onto his back with a wince, dragging his free arm across his mouth, wiping blood away. 

“The... the scratches?” She said softly, refusing to move away from him. Instead, choosing to lay on top of his chest. He didn't protest. Didn't push her away. He wrapped his arms around her, smoothed a hand into her hair. Axiom sat down against Harry's hip, heavily. Harry didn't so much as complain. 

“Yeah.” He sighed. He was quiet then, and she closed her eyes, fighting the urge to cry.

“I thought you were...” she whispered. Stupid, stupid tears. They flowed out. He just held her a little tighter. And she was grateful for it. So grateful. Because the fear was still there. It had been there since she'd learned about the Not-Future and what Harry's fate was supposed to be, and her own. To be honest, there had always been a little fear when it came to Harry. Fear that someday, for whatever reason, he'd figure out that he made a stupid mistake by taking a chance on her. It was probably illogical. Probably just that stupid little voice in her head that she could never quite get to shut up. But the fear was real, and it was there, rearing it's ugly head when she pushed Harry's buttons or she stepped out of line or did any number of things that would make anyone else run away. 

But he never did. 

Never Harry.

“Good thing you're a stubborn pain in the ass.” There was soft humor in his tired tone, then, pulling her back from her thoughts. And she couldn't help but laugh a little. “You too, mutt.” He said, reaching over and laying a heavy hand on Axiom's head, scruffing at his short hair a moment. Maggie lifted her head and stared down at him. If he looked awful before, he looked worse now. 

“I need to get you home.” She said, scooting to sit back on her feet. Harry just continued laying there, but turned his head to look at the train car again.

“You need to get Cisco here.” He flared his nostrils a little, looking back at her. “And Hope.” 

“What? No, no way! You can't be near her! I mean, jeez, you couldn't even be in _there_!” She began to raise her voice, panic flaring out of nowhere again. Harry reached up and grabbed her arm as it half flailed.

“Maggie.” He used her name firmly. “I won't. I'll stay as far away as I can. But they need to be here.” He sat up slowly then, Axiom moving out of the way. “I think I know what that is.” He motioned to the train car. “And if I'm right, Hope is the only one who can find the other Watcher.” She paused, looking back at the now very dark insides of the car. 

“You mean there really is another one?” She asked, Harry just nodded.

“And that's its calling card.” Harry added. Axiom growled low, as if the very idea seemed ominous, even to a dog. Maggie reached out and scratched beneath his collar. She didn't like any of this. Didn't understand it, either. But she would do what Harry asked. Because she'd almost just lost him, right in front of her eyes. 

And if she lost him? Well... that wasn't a future she wanted to think about.

They needed to figure out how to stop all this. To keep Hope's Watcher energy from hurting him. And if finding another Watcher could help them do that, then so be it...

* * *

Harry was standing as far away from the group as possible, near a row of stacked up pilons, looking about ready to pass out. But he was refusing to leave, refusing to sit. The dog, Axiom, seemed just as stubborn, refusing to leave Harry's side, much to his chagrin. Hope was hovering close to Caitlin, face flushed, eyes wet and hands constantly wringing as though she didn't know what to do with herself. Maggie had done her best to explain the situation and what they'd found, and Harry's theory.

The other Watcher had left the energy traces as a sort of bread crumb trail leading to the train car. Inside, the map of a section of the multiverse, showed where this particular Watcher was from. It was up to Hope to figure out the rest. It made sense, for the most part.

Cisco tore his eyes away from Harry's distant form and ran a hand through his hair. “So it just started glowing when Harry touched it?” He asked Maggie, who shrugged, leaning a little further into Jesse who was standing at her side, an arm protectively over her little sister's shoulders. 

“The closer we got to the car, the sicker he got. But when he touched the scratches inside, everything lit up. Like whatever connection he has to the energy set it off. Next thing I knew, he was just...” she cleared her throat, casting a glance in his direction, “Coughing up blood.”

“He shouldn't have gone in there.” Barry said, uncrossing his arms. 

“He wouldn't let me go alone.” Maggie replied, “But to be fair, if he hadn't gone in, I never would have figured out those scratches were a map of the multiverse.”

“There's always something to be said for that man's stubborn streak.” Joe quipped, smirking lightly.

_'You all know I can hear you.'_ Harry's voice came over everyone's earsets. Iris shook her a head a little and Cisco chuckled. 

“I need to go in there.” Hope interjected, her voice a soft but determined thing. “I can feel the energy from here. It's so familiar.” She took a step away from Caitlin, toward the car. “It feels like... like home..” And before anyone could add anything else, she kept walking. Everyone exchanged glances and then followed. 

_'Hope, please be careful...'_ Harry's voice urged. She paused just a few feet from the car, nodding softly. 

“I'm going to find a way to save you.” She said, then moved forward and hoisted herself up with Barry and Cisco's help. Turning, once inside, she looked back at everyone. “You should all wait here. Please...” And then she moved further into the dark insides. Which didn't stay dark for long. 

The whole train car lit up, like both Maggie and Harry had described. Blue light, which reminded Cisco a little of Harry's eyes. Lines of it, connecting balls of blue, all over. Floor, walls, ceiling. They were everywhere. Impossibly detailed and intricate. Cisco felt an unease flood his veins, and he turned to look at Harry who had bent over, holding his stomach. Axiom was pacing around him nervously. “Harry...” He muttered, and was about to run toward him when everything went sideways. 

Literally. 

The explosion was so bright. Energy threw everyone back, bursting out of the train car so fast that no one could have seen it coming. They all ended up several feet beyond where they'd been standing, on their backs, spaced apart. Cisco couldn't help the strange daze he felt, or the need to blink rapidly at the sparks in his vision. At first, their was just a massive ringing in his ears. Then barking. He was sure that was barking. Oh god, Harry... He forced himself to sit up, head aching but looking around to get his bearings, blinking to force his vision back into compliance. When he figured out that the train car was still strangely standing, and Hope was dropping out of it, losing her balance and falling on her butt, he stood up, turned in Harry's direction, and felt his heart fall completely out of his body. 

Because Harry wasn't standing. Nor was he moving. 

Axiom was barking relentlessly, standing guard over him. Protecting Harry from someone. A man who had apparently appeared out of nowhere. He was regarding the dog with something close to amusement, then pointed a finger at him. Axiom yipped and fell right on top of Harry's legs, still. Cisco just started running. Because no, no, no. This was bad. This was really bad, right? Barry must have thought the same thing, because he sped right past Cisco. Only to stop dead in his tracks and nearly fall backward, as though hitting a wall about five feet from Harry and the man. 

The man then began to move to Harry's side, crouching beside him, hovering a hand over Harry's chest, ignoring Barry completely. “Stop! HEY!” Cisco demanded, as he got to Barry's side, realizing why Barry stopped. He couldn't move any further, either. Like there was an invisible wall in front of them. “Leave him alone, please!” Cisco smashed a fist forward, hitting something hard but unseen. The man, Asian looking, tall and muscular, wearing a tailored black suit, clean shaven, but with striking hazel eyes, glanced at Cisco with a raised brow. “He can't handle your energy, you're gonna kill him!” Cisco declared, because he had a very real feeling this was the other Watcher. 

The man smiled then. And it wasn't a pleasant smile. At least, Cisco didn't think it was. Panic flooded every bit of his body as the man looked away wordlessly and just planted a hand on Harry's chest. And god, the sound Harry made. Even unconscious, it was like he was in pain. His whole form tensed, strange black veins spread on his skin. By that point, everyone had caught up with him and Barry and not a single one of them was okay with this. They were all protesting, yelling for this guy to stop, barreling against the invisible barrier. 

But then Harry's body went limp again, the black veins disappeared, and the man took his hand away, standing up. Everything was suddenly far too quiet. Maggie was clinging to Cisco's side, tears staining her face anew. “Dad?” She called out. 

“Dad?” The man finally spoke, glancing down at Harry, then raised a brow. “This one is your father?” He looked back at Maggie. “I find that hard to believe.” He stepped over Harry's body, then, facing all of them, eyes moving to Jesse. “Yours, yes. I see the blood relation.” 

“He adopted me, douchebag.” Maggie glared, and Cisco grabbed her hand, stilling her. That caught the guy's attention. 

“You... your connection to him is strong. It's part of the reason he's lasted this long with the Spectrat inside him.” He looked around at all of them, “In fact, all of you are to thank for his survival. Without you, he'd have been dead long before now. Even being a Holtstafvteft.” 

“A what now?” Cisco asked, “Wait, never mind all that. What the hell did you do to him?” Cisco tempted moving forward, and found that yep, the barrier was gone. He let go of Maggie's hand and went straight to Harry, feeling for a pulse. He was alive. He let out an elated sound, lifting Harry's head and putting it in his lap, stroking his hair. 

“I took out the Spectrat, and made sure it wouldn't hurt him anymore. Though, that's the simplistic way of putting it.” He looked at Hope, then, who hadn't taken her eyes off of him since she'd reached them all. “You have to learn to do the same when you make a bonded connection with someone.” 

“I... I don't even know what Spectrat is. I feel I do... but...” she trailed off, then swallowed. “When they made me human, they left me my knowledge, but didn't allow me the sight.” 

“Ah.” He said, “You must have really pissed them off, then.” He smiled a little. “And I thought what I did was bad.” 

“I did nothing wrong.” She said with steel. It was actually nice to hear the firmness in her tone, the conviction. To know she was finally believing what the rest of them did. The man smiled again. And Hope just frowned deeper. “He's from this Earth.” She said, turning to look at the others. “He was the Watcher here. Before he fell. His story is all over the train car walls. He was summoned here when I read it.” 

“Watcher? Is that what they call us?” He asked, and Hope nodded once. He chuckled, “I like that.” 

“You're so very... human.” She wondered out loud, “Why?” 

“Well, when you've lived among them for as long as I have?” He shrugged, taking a step toward her, “You tend to pick up a thing or two.” 

“How long have you been like Hope?” Cisco asked, and the man turned narrowing his gaze a little, seemingly studying him like there was something suddenly infinitely interesting about him he hadn't realized before. It made Cisco feel instantly uncomfortable, but he just shifted his position a little, pulling Harry a little further into his lap. Caitlin helped him, she'd been at his side for a few minutes now. 

“About seven hundred years. Give or take.” The man said nonchalantly, and an air of disbelief went through everyone. “I've littered beacons like this all over the world in the hopes of finding others.” He added, almost as an afterthought, glancing at the train car. 

“That's not possible.” It was Caitlin, ignoring the train car completely. “If you're really like Hope, then you're as human as she is. Humans don't live that long.” 

“Quite correct.” He pointed at her, then motioned to the group. “We're physically human. But our energy? Anything but, as you've already figured out. That energy can sustain us for... well, fuck knows how long.” He chuckled and Hope frowned, crossing her arms. He shook his head a little. “We don't lose the energy we started as. We're just... physical now. You'll understand as you go along. It took me awhile to figure it all out, too. Though, I have to say, I'm a bit jealous... Hope.” 

“Why?” She deadpanned. 

“Look at you.” He motioned at her, then slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out a pair of leather gloves and began slipping them on like it was just habit. “You've got a family already, people to rely on, no doubt a place to call home? You've got a leg up on how I started out. You're a lucky woman. But you need to be far more careful with that energy of yours. I'll teach you how. But not right now.” He turned to look back at Harry and Cisco, slipping his now gloved hands in his pockets. “I look forward to dealing with you both. It should be quite enlightening.” 

He stepped aside, moving toward a set of cut off tracks. “Wait, don't go!” Hope exclaimed, stepping forward. He laughed, turning. 

“Don't worry. You'll see me again, now that I know you're here. For now, take care of your family. I'll settle some business, and be back.” 

“Do you even have a name?” Barry asked flatly. Joe nudged him. But the man just smiled. Always smiling. It was unnerving as hell. 

“You can call me Coster.” He replied. And then, before everyone's eyes, he simply disappeared. Like they blinked and he was just gone. 

“Holy shit...” Jesse finally blurted out, and everyone seemed to breathe, as if they were waiting for him to reappear like some sort of magic trick. Honestly, Cisco was very glad he was gone. None of this felt good or right or safe. Something about Coster was seriously sketchy, setting off bells and alarms in Cisco's head. He looked down at Harry, still passed out cold, face still slightly pale, and he pulled him a little closer. _'I look forward to dealing with you both.'_ Coster had said. What the hell did that mean? Why would Coster want anything to do with them. Maybe it was because of what he'd called Harry. A... hold... holt... whatever. 

“That word he used for Harry...” he asked then, looking up at Hope as she moved toward him, going to her knees and reaching out to touch Harry for the first time in weeks. She sighed as her fingertips touched his hand. “What does it mean?” 

“Holtstafvteft.” She said, meeting Cisco's gaze as she pulled Harry's hand into her lap. “An elemental...” 

Axiom lifted his head at that, waking slowly, letting out a snort and shaking his whole body as he stood, grabbing everyone's attention momentarily. He seemed dazed, confused, then turned back toward Harry, whining, pushing his nose into Harry's cheek. “Hey, boy. It's okay.” Maggie said, reaching for him. He whined, but let her hug him to her torso. 

“I am so confused right now.” Cisco mumbled, just staring down at Harry. 

“I think we all are.” Jesse added. 

“Let's get back to S.T.A.R. Labs. I need to look Harry over. We can figure everything out after that, okay?” Caitlin suggested, looking around at everyone. No one seemed willing to disagree. And honestly, Cisco would be glad to get out of this place. Away from anywhere Coster may have been. Just thinking about that man left a terrible taste in his mouth. They may have had more questions now than answers, but Harry was alive and whatever was hurting him had stopped, so there was that. Still... everyone seemed to be on the same page as far as the overwhelming feeling that something awful had happened to all of them. Something none of them could place or figure out. 

One thing was for sure, Cisco was really, really not looking forward to it when they did... 

**Author's Note:**

> (To be continued...)


End file.
